The EU Roadworthiness Test plan to Save Lives

The controversial “Roadworthiness Test” has a rocky start in the EU

Plans to introduce EU
minimum standards for roadworthiness tests on motorcycles and trailers under
2,000 kg. According to EU press release, "these plans are part of the EU Roadworthiness Package,
which would lay down minimum EU standards on testing frequency, a risk-based
system for roadside inspections of commercial vehicles and rules for suspending
or cancelling registration certificates. The package still has to be approved
by Parliament as a whole”.

However, countries like
Great Britain, among other European countries, with a trailer caravan tradition
feel very uncomfortable with these proposals and will show strong opposition
against some measures.

What is the new Roadworthiness Package?

The "Roadworthiness
Package" is an ambitious plan for road safety and reduction of
road fatalities by half in 2020. It started in 2011 and will have to be
achieved by 2020 -with completion in 2050. Many aspects of this document, such
as the M.O.T (Ministry of Transport Test in Britain - in other countries
Roadworthiness Test), among others, have to do with the so called "Roadworthiness Package" part
of it has been implemented in many countries a long time ago. In any case,
since this proposal means quite a lot for transport, it has a long way to go;
as it has been said, some of them are only projects which have to be accepted
by EU Parliament.

Example of some new measures:

Cars and light commercial vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes which reach at
the date of first inspection (after 4 years) a mileage of more than 160.000 km
shall be inspected annually after the first test (4-1-1 instead of the existing
4-2-2)*

See the table below:

New vehicle testing and changes for private
motorists

current
test

periodicity*

Member States

Cars

Motorcycles

Scooters

Changes for private
motorists

Austria

3 - 2 - 1

1 - 1 - 1

no changes

Belgium

4 - 1 - 1

no tests

no changes for
cars; testing for motorcycles and scooters will be introduced

Bulgaria

3 - 2 - 1

no tests

no changes for
cars; testing for motorcycles and scooters will be introduced

Cyprus

4 - 2 - 2

no tests

older cars will
be tested every year; testing for motorcycles and scooters will be introduced

Czech Republic

4 - 2 - 2

4 - 2 - 2

older cars will
be tested every year; older motorcycles and scooter will be tested every year

Denmark

4 - 2 - 2

4 - 2 - 2

older cars will
be tested every year; older motorcycles and scooter will be tested every year

Estonia

3 - 2 - 2 - 2- 1

3 - 2 - 2 - 2- 1

testing of cars,
motorcycles and scooters will be every year as of the 6th year (instead as of
10th year)

Finland

3 - 2 - 1

no tests

no changes for
cars; testing for motorcycles and scooters will be introduced

France

4 - 2 - 2

no tests

older cars will
be tested every year; testing for motorcycles and scooters will be introduced

Germany

3 - 2 - 2

2 - 2 - 2

older cars will
be tested every year; older motorcycles and scooter will be tested every year

Greece

4 - 2 - 2

no tests

older cars will
be tested every year; testing for motorcycles and scooters will be introduced

Hungary

4 - 3 - 2 - 2

3 - 3 - 2 – 2°)

older cars will
be tested every year; older motorcycles will be tested every year and testing
for scooters will be introduced

Ireland

4 - 2 - 2

no tests

older cars will
be tested every year; testing for motorcycles and scooters will be introduced

Italy

4 - 2 - 2

4 - 2 - 2

older cars will
be tested every year; older motorcycles and scooter will be tested every year

Latvia

1 - 1 - 1

1 - 1 – 1°)

no change for
cars and motorcycles; testing for scooters will be introduced

Lithuania

3 - 2 - 2

1 - 1 - 1

older cars will
be tested every year, no change for motorcycles and scooter

Luxemburg

3.5 - 1 - 1

3.5 - 1 - 1

no changes

Malta

1 - 1 - 1

no tests

no changes for
cars; testing for motorcycles and scooters will be introduced

Netherlands

4 - 2 - 2 - 1

no tests

testing of cars
will be every year as of the 6th year (instead as of 9th year); motorcycles
and scooters will be tested

Poland

3 - 2 - 1

3 - 2 - 1°)

no changes for
cars and motorcycles; testing for scooters will be introduced

Portugal

4 - 2 - 2 - 1

no tests

testing of cars
will be every year as of the 6th year (instead as of 9th year); motorcycles
and scooters will be tested

Romania

2 - 2 - 2

no tests

older cars will
be tested every year; testing for motorcycles and scooters will be introduced

Slovakia

3 -1 - 1

4 - 2 - 2

no changes for
cars, older motorcycles and scooters will be tested every year

Slovenia

3 - 2 - 2

3 - 1 - 1

no changes

Spain

4 - 2 - 2 - 1

5 - 2 - 2

testing of cars
will be every year as of the 6th year (instead as of 9th year);older
motorcycles and scooters will be tested every year

Sweden

3 - 2 - 1

4 - 2 - 2

no change for
cars; older motorcycles and scooters will be tested every year

UK

3 - 1 - 1

3 - 1 - 1

no changes

Table source:
Roadworthiness Test - EU

*) Periodicity 4-2-1 means first test after 4 years,
next test after 2 years, afterward tests every year.